After five months of negotiations, healthcare workers at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center have ratified a three-year labor contract.
The contract covers 750 healthcare workers at Western New York’s only independent hospital, as well as at an assisted living facility in Lockport operated by the hospital. The new contract includes 4% annual wage hikes, pension increases, new wage steps, additional PTO, a guaranteed work week and other benefits.
The deal comes as federal budget cuts are expected to slash funding for hospitals.
“Niagara Falls Memorial is the only full-service hospital left in Niagara County. It’s a standalone,” Catherine Mahar, an administrative organizer with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the union that represents healthcare workers at NFMMC, said in an interview. “It is not Catholic Health. It is not Kaleida. The resources they have available to them are very limited. So to get four, four and four [percent wage increases] for the next three years was absolutely amazing.”
Union officials expect the contract to help the hospital recruit and retain healthcare workers. Mahar says that retaining more employees will allow NFMMC to provide “optimal care.”
“Having the additional money for the general wage increases and when people are starting — that is absolutely a recruitment tool, but also a tool for retention,” Mahar said. “This is a win-win for the members and for our patients.”
The contract also makes Juneteenth a paid holiday and requires the hospital to establish a “Just Culture” Committee to address issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Mahar said the DEI committee was “absolutely paramount” in an urban hospital with a diverse workforce.
In a statement, NFMMC President and CEO Joseph Ruffolo said he was “proud to reach a fair and equitable contract” with workers.
“Sustaining and expanding Memorial’s extensive service profile, in a very challenging economic climate, is a true testament of the dedication, passion and commitment provided by our SEIU members,” Ruffolo said. “Despite the challenging economic outlook that we, and all hospitals across the country will face due to the significant federal reductions in Medicaid and Medicare, we have the confidence in our team of healthcare workers.”
NFMMC workers’ previous contract expired on May 31. The union and hospital agreed to two extensions that lasted through July 31.